Do you wish your car had a little more fire under the bonnet? Wouldn’t it be fantastic if the engine roared like a lion when you put your foot down? For most of us, we’re stuck with the standard spec straight off the production line. That’s fine for nipping around town, and you might unleash a little speed on the motorway. But, what about those petrolheads who want more? Keeping it clean is just the start. What about extracting more speed, better handling, and extra bite? Today, we’ll show you some of the best tricks and upgrades to take your car to the next level.

Air intake

Before we go further, a little science lesson. Your engine works by sucking cold air into the system. It uses the oxygen in the air to combine with the petrol or diesel. This is what triggers the combustion part of the process and gets the car moving. The better your air intake, the more oxygen you can get into the engine. A new cold air intake will drastically speed up and smoothen the process that’s going on. It gives you a more efficient combustion system, and a few extra brake horse power off the line.

High flow exhaust

If the cold air intake is all about smoothing the process at the front, the exhaust takes care of the back. A standard exhaust often slows down the emissions process. It doesn’t convert the power as efficiently as a new model might. Try to avoid making your decision solely on noise. Some manufacturers have designed exhausts to sound loud and noisy. Yet they don’t have any noticeable effect on performance. Speak to a professional and do your research to get the right model.

New tires

Sometimes, all you need is a fresh pair of tires. In fact, the rubber has a much bigger impact than you might think. Old tires suffer from extensive wear, which reduces the amount of grip on the road. By upgrading your tires, you’ll instantly feel the car hug the road tighter. With good tires you can push the car harder and faster. You can brake later into the corners, and generally exert more speed and power.

Engine tuning

So far, we haven’t touched the engine. Now, that’s a purpose choice. Ideally, you want to upgrade the various components around the engine first. In other words, make sure your vehicle is converting the most amount of power possible. Then you can upgrade the main heart of the car. This is not a DIY job. Choose a professional who is an expert at tuning engines. They have the tools and expertise to extract the best performance.

Bushings

You may not have heard of bushings. In fact, they’re relatively unknown outside the mechanic’s garage. But, they play a huge role in handling. These small components are located in your suspension. By switching the sub-par standard bushings, you’ll achieve a firmer suspension. In other words, you’ll unlock superior handling right away.

That’s all for now, folks! Let us know about your upgrade projects in the comments below. What are you doing to improve the speed and performance of your car?